


On the Subject of an Heir

by Brushfire_Wyndragon



Series: Angry Empress/Dragon Jester's Tale AU [5]
Category: Undertale, kung fu panda
Genre: F/F, Mostly Dialogue, Other, takes place before main story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:52:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8900206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brushfire_Wyndragon/pseuds/Brushfire_Wyndragon
Summary: The former assassin, Song, realizes her new fiancée, the Dragon Empress Jian Ren, known as Tigress to her friends, is becoming increasingly withdrawn after the anniversary of her coronation. After talking to the court jester, Song decides to talk to Tigress and learns the problem is that she has been too nervous to broach a subject with Song that's close to her heart.





	

The center of the Dragon Empire lay blanketed in snow, but the capital city was still bustling. The last day of the Winter Festival had ended barely two weeks before, and the Jade Palace was still settling down after the twelfth anniversary of the Empress' coronation. Song wandered the halls, watching the staff work as the kids in striped shirts ran around like they always did. She spotted the court jester sitting on a cushioned bench as he looked out one of the large hall windows.

“Monkey!”

He was startled as she jumped up beside him. The way Song treated Monkey did confuse him a bit. He wanted to have a good rapport with the Empress' fiancée, of course, but Song acted with a friendly familiarity around him that he didn't think that the short time they had known each other warranted. Still, he settled himself and grinned in an attempt to hide his worry.

“Hi.”

“Have you seen Tigress anywhere?”

“Actually...,” Monkey pointed outside; the window overlooked a section of the palace gardens. Song could just make out the Empress standing in the snow inside the maze near a pair of plaques. “She's been really distracted lately...”

“I've noticed. Do you know what's wrong? She hasn't told me anything.”

“If it is what I think it is...,” Monkey turned to Song, her face partially obscured by her goggles and hood. “...then you really should go talk to her.”

“Yeah...I'm just not sure if she will talk to me...,” Song gave the confused langur a brief hug before running off. Searching through her quarters, she found her gloves, a coat, and snow boots. Perhaps a little overkill for just walking through the gardens, but Song had spent about ten years in the desert. It did get cold there, too, but the grandmaster never let the students leave the school much at night. For their safety, he'd said. Just another way he was trying to cut them off from the world.

It wasn't too windy, but Song pulled her goggles down over her eyes out of habit as she stepped outside, the tinted lenses further concealing her identity. She didn't meet anyone in her trek across the gardens, but she took time to observe the flowers, enchanted to continue growing despite the cold. Song picked a bouquet of violets and spotted pink lilies before heading into the maze. It had a habit of changing on its own, so after some fruitless searching, she jumped up onto one of the snow-covered hedges. She finally found the Empress near the center, dressed in her silver and gray winter surcoat.

“Hi, Tiggy!”

Tigress was so focused she hadn't noticed Song's arrival, but she pulled the smaller feline into a hug after she hopped down from the hedge. “Hello, my Little Cat,” she purred.

“I brought you some flowers!”

She took the bouquet and gave Song a kiss. “Thank you, Little Cat.”

Song glanced at the plaques that Tigress had been observing. “Asriel and Chara...Dreamurr?”  
“My mother did not take her husbands' names,” Tigress curled the end of her tail around the bouquet.

“Oh, yeah. You mentioned that.”

“I've told you Asriel was my older brother...but Chara...Asriel found a human child on this side of the Barrier...so Asgore and my mother adopted them...Asriel was supposed to...he was the firstborn, so he was the heir...but he and Chara were killed by humans...”

“Oh...oh...you never told me how he died...is this what's been bothering you lately?

“...no. I...you are comfortable with your future title, aren't you?”

“I like 'Princess-Consort'. It just means that I'm marrying into the imperial family, but it's a little archaic, so most people just know the connotation,” Song stuck out her tongue. “But that's not what's been bothering you, is it?”

Tigress bit her lip at being caught out. “We have not spoken too much on the matter of...children, have we?”

“Oh, so that's what you're worried about,” Song's chi ribbons emerged from the back of her coat and lifted her up to be face to face with Tigress. “It's been a while since I thought about having kids. I kinda gave up on having a...proper relationship since I've been at the assassin school...and there's the whole thing with the curse...although with everything else it does, the curse is supposed to help make childbirth easier? Heh.

“It's so cute watching you with the palace kids. I really would like some of my own. Do you want any?” Song asked, and Tigress wrapped her arms around her with a sigh.

“Most of the court would prefer that I continue my mother's bloodline...and I do want to be a mother. This is...something I would like to try myself.”

“Yourself? You mean like, you want to be the pregnant one...?”

Tigress nodded.

“Oh...is this because you're three feet taller than I am? I mean...I thought it'd be me...heh.”

“Partially. I...I am worried about putting you through the strain--”

Song's face darkened a bit at the idea that she couldn't handle it.

“--when I have not done so myself. I...I want to have a litter first, before I try to give you one...”

“Wha? Oh! Alright. Heh. We're feral, you know. That's going to be several at once. How are you going to get pregnant, though? I mean, with me, we wouldn't have to do anything different.”

“True. I...I was wondering if...you would. Mage Crane could make you like me. Just temporarily. Just long enough to do this.”

“Oh, gods.”

Tigress wasn't entirely surprised by this reaction. Another of the reasons for taking so long to bring up the subject. “I thought you would say no, but I am not sure how else to do this.”

“Oh...well, we could get a donor, and I could use a special strap-on,” Song giggled, trying to move the subject on.

“A donor?”

“Yeah, I mean...someone to donate the essence. There's places that do that--

“I looked into that. I do not like the idea of...of an unknown, faceless donor.”

“We could check their background and stuff.”

“It has to be someone I know and trust.”

“Hmm...well, you've got those...those, uh, members of the court that...that you trade sexual favors with...,” Song puzzled over it.

“Those men are not worthy enough...and the women I've dated are not so understanding as you...are you really certain that I can look elsewhere?” Tigress was a bit surprised at the suggestion.

“Well, if you're that worried...we could find someone else to...we already have a sort of polyamorous thing going on already, so we could find a third person. Someone both you and me like.”

“You mean...find a husband...or someone like me?” Tigress found she was interested in such an idea, so she looked to Song to confirm this is what she meant.

“Yes! Someone we both know and trust. And I could have help getting you through your heats.”

“So...two spouses, hmm. You would not be jealous to see me being affectionate with another?”

“Nah. I've seen you with those guys in your court, and that's just business. And there's compersion, too. Being happy that your lovers are happy.”

Tigress hugged Song, resting her head on the smaller feline's and letting out a sigh, creating a puff of steam in the cold air. “I...I would like to try this.”

“Alright. Can we go back inside now? It's pretty cold.”

“Yes. Wait,” Tigress pulled the bouquet from from her tail and plucked a few lilies out, placing them in the snow before her brother's plaque. Then she turned and took Song's paw to head out of the maze.

“What? No flowers for Chara?” Song teased.

“No. I do not know where they are, but they never crossed over.”

“Oh, so there's more ghosts in the palace?”

“I only know of Napstablook and...the High Tinkerer is building a body for a ghost named Mettaton, but he does not act like Chara at all,” Tigress continued as she and Song made their way out of the maze. A yellow flower followed them, hiding if he thought he would be seen. “Asriel did cross over, but he disappeared a few years ago.”

“Did he reincarnate or something?”

“I do not think so. I've seen my mother in dreams, and she is worried about him.”

They headed on inside, and the flower snuck in after them.


End file.
